The factions of SPD, Greens and FDP in the Bundestag have agreed on details for the faster expansion of renewable energies. “Especially for wind energy and for the expansion of the power grid, we were able to agree on important measures to speed things up,” said Green Party leader Katharina Dröge on Tuesday of the German Press Agency in Berlin. It is about the implementation of new EU rules, the implementation of which the Federal Cabinet had already decided at the end of January.
“The implementation of the EU emergency regulation will accelerate the modernization of the German energy infrastructure in an unprecedented way,” said FDP parliamentary group leader Lukas Koehler of the dpa. SPD faction deputy Matthias Miersch explained: “In order to make us independent of fossil energy imports as quickly as possible, we are simplifying the approval and planning procedures.”
A so-called emergency regulation was agreed at EU level in December. Central point: If there is already a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in an area designated for wind power or power lines, the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and the species protection assessment can be omitted in the approval process for the approval of the individual plants.
Species protection still in view
According to the Green politician Dröge, the interests of species protection should continue to be taken into account. The expansion of renewable energies has absolute priority for the climate-neutral energy supply, she explained. Carbon neutrality means that all greenhouse gases must be avoided or stored.
The federal government has set very ambitious goals for the expansion of renewable energies. Onshore wind power alone is expected to double from 58 gigawatts in 2022 to 115 gigawatts by 2030. However, the planning, approval and construction of a wind turbine currently takes an average of five to seven years.
The FDP MP Köhler emphasized that “extremely lengthy planning and approval procedures” have not only regularly prevented the achievement of expansion targets for renewables, but also the construction of the necessary grids, without which additional wind and photovoltaic systems often cannot be used sensibly can become. At the insistence of his parliamentary group, the new regulations now also apply to energy storage and distribution networks. “It is unfortunate that the EU regulation currently only applies until mid-2024. However, I hope that the last word has not yet been spoken.”
SPD representative Miersch drew a parallel to the rapid construction of terminals for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG). “The new pace in Germany that we showed at the LNG terminals is now the blueprint for the energy transition.”
According to the Greens, the traffic light factions are hoping for a quick adoption in the Bundestag in the current week, so that the Bundesrat can agree this Friday and the new regulations can come into force in mid-March.
